Building a Foundation for Effective English Language Teaching in Morocco: Integrating 21st Century Skills in Teacher Preparation Curriculum

Résumé

At the dawn of the 21st century, new skills have become significant in everyone’s life. The world nowadays has become a different place that needs new and emergent skills to keep up with the latest trends. Teacher preparation is considered one of the most important facets of effective language teaching, thus necessitating teachers to acquire these new skills. This paper aims to investigate the inclusion of 21st-century skills in teacher training or preparation programs in Morocco. It also highlights the effective ways of integrating those essential skills nowadays. Two research questions guide this study: 1) To what extent are 21st-century skills integrated into Morocco's teacher training or preparation programs? 2) What strategies and approaches can be adopted to effectively integrate 21st-century skills into teacher training programs in Morocco? The study is based on a cross-sectional quantitative design. Data collection is based on a questionnaire administered to 100 in-service English teachers who are in their first years of teaching. This study aims to assist pedagogues and curriculum designers of pre-service training programs in Morocco in designing a curriculum that caters to the needs of both Morocco and the demands of the 21st century. The findings show a potential impact on various aspects, such as student learning outcomes, teacher effectiveness, and the overall quality of language teaching in Morocco about 21st century skills.